Institute of Food Technologists

The California Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach affecting the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in February 2024. The incident occurred between April 25–26, 2023, when unauthorized actors potentially accessed personal information, including full names of individuals. While the exact scope of the breach remains undisclosed, the exposure of personally identifiable information (PII) raises concerns about identity theft, phishing, or further targeted attacks. The delay in reporting (nearly 9 months) may have exacerbated risks for affected individuals, as they remained unaware of potential misuse during this period. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in IFT’s data protection measures, particularly in safeguarding basic yet sensitive identifiers. No evidence suggests financial data, medical records, or other high-risk information was compromised, but the incident highlights the persistent threat of unauthorized data access in organizational systems, even when limited to foundational PII.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-581655

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/institute-of-food-technologists

"id": "ins1023090725",
"linkid": "institute-of-food-technologists",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "4/2023",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Food Science & Technology',
                        'name': 'Institute of Food Technologists',
                        'type': 'Non-profit Organization'}],
 'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'Moderate (Personally Identifiable '
                                        'Information)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal Information (Full '
                                              'Names)']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-02-28',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving the Institute of Food Technologists on '
                'February 28, 2024. The breach occurred on April 25 and 26, '
                '2023, potentially compromising personal information including '
                'the full names of individuals, which may have been accessed '
                'without authorization.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Full names of individuals'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'Potential (unauthorized access to personal '
                                   'information)'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-02-28',
                 'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['California Office of '
                                                        'the Attorney '
                                                        'General']},
 'title': 'Data Breach at Institute of Food Technologists',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}